UrBC, Moscow, August 5, 2019. The Russian drivers’ trip computer data might potentially become a commodity; the change would affect around 40% of the country’s automobile market, or more than 20m cars. Target ad campaigns might get launched through the medium in question as soon as 2021, GLONASS told Izvestiya.

Car dealers, garages, and online stores are expected to become the key customers for the product. Sharing the data relating to one’s automobile as well as travel and location information is entirely up to the driver; a discount would be offered in exchange for sharing.

A database such as this would be prone to leaks, experts warn; the new option isn’t something to interest carjackers, however. Yet the drivers/owners themselves are not likely to agree to data collection, as they wouldn’t want to be bothered by annoying ad campaigns.